escendants from Lagus, to the death of
Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, in 3974; and this last comprehends 293
years.

I shall now treat only of the first period, reserving the two others for
the AEras to which they belong.

(M64) THE KINGS OF EGYPT.--MENES. Historians are unanimously agreed, that
Menes was the first king of Egypt. It is pretended, and not without
foundation, that he is the same with Misraim, the son of Cham.

Cham was the second son of Noah. When the family of the latter, after the
extravagant attempt of building the tower of Babel, dispersed themselves
into different countries, Cham retired to Africa; and it doubtless was he
who afterwards was worshipped as a god, under the name of Jupiter Ammon.
He had four children, Chus,(404) Misraim, Phut, and Canaan. Chus settled
in Ethiopia, Misraim in Egypt, which generally is called in Scripture
after his name, and by that of Cham,(405) his father; Phut took possession
of that part of Africa which lies westward of Egypt; and Canaan, of the
country which afterwards bore his name. The Canaanites are certainly the
same people who are called almost always Phoenicians by the Greeks, of
which foreign name no reason can be given, any more than of the oblivion
of the true one.

I return to Misraim.(406) He is allowed to be the same with Menes, whom
all historians declare to be the first king of Egypt, the institutor of
the worship of the gods, and of the ceremonies of the sacrifices.

BUSIRIS, some ages after him, built the famous city of Thebes, and made it
the seat of his empire. We have elsewhere taken notice of the wealth and
magnificence of this city. This prince is not to be confounded with
Busiris, so infamous for his cruelties.

OSYMANDYAS. Diodorus gives a very particular description of many
magnificent edifices raised by this king;(407) one of which was adorned
with sculptures and paintings of exquisite beauty, representing his
expedition against the Bactrians, a people of Asia, whom he had invaded
with four hundred thousand foot and twenty thousand horse. In another part
of the edifice was exhibited an assembly of the judges, whose president
wore, on his breast, a picture of Truth, with her eyes shut, and himself
was surrounded with books--an emphatic emblem, denoting that judges ought
to be perfectly versed in the laws, and impartial in the administration of
them.

The king likewise was painted here, offering to the gods gold and silver,
which h